


Paranormal

by Musical_Fandom



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Personas (Persona Series), Blood, Description of a Corpse, Flashbacks, Gen, Haunting, Head Injury, Horror, Kinda, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ouija Board, Past Character Death, Possession
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 06:47:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28809102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musical_Fandom/pseuds/Musical_Fandom
Summary: Mishima broke the silence. "Last night I was reading this article about haunted houses." He sounded so excited as he talked about it. "It got me thinking, what if ghosts really did exist?"Ryuji started laughing at the idea. "I think you need to lay off the paranormal stuff." Mishima's face reddened as he huffed."I'm not saying I think they're real!""Why couldn't they be?" Akira asked which earned another laugh from Ryuji."You too?" Akira just shrugged.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Persona 5 Protagonist & Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Comments: 20
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

Akira could hardly believe that university was right around the corner. It was even harder to believe that he was moving into his own apartment. One with a shower and a door for his bedroom. It was so different from LeBlanc's attic. He would definitely miss the place but he couldn't live there forever. Especially not with Morgana who couldn't even go downstairs. Now he had a whole apartment to wander around instead of being stuck up in a dusty attic all day or having to be locked in Akira's room during the time they had stayed at his parent's house.

When it was time to move in, Akira had called Ryuji and Mishima for help. The day was actually going pretty smoothly all things considered. Most of his boxes of belongings had already been put in the apartment, by the time lunch came around, all they really needed to do was move what little furniture he had.

As everyone sat on the floor eating take out, Mishima broke the silence. "Last night I was reading this article about haunted houses." He sounded so excited as he talked about it. "It got me thinking, what if ghosts really did exist?"

Ryuji started laughing at the idea. "I think you need to lay off the paranormal stuff." Mishima's face reddened as he huffed. 

"I'm not saying I _do_ think they're real!"

"Why couldn't they be?" Akira asked which earned another laugh from Ryuji. 

"You too?" Akira just shrugged.

Mishima stood up, nearly knocking his food onto Akira's carpet in the process. "I know how we can settle this!" His eyes held the same determination from when the three of them had talked about "Project Maid Watch". Well, really it had only been Ryuji and Mishima talking, Akira was dragged into the whole thing against his will but that wasn't the point. Mishima continued, "Next time we all get together I can bring a Oujia board! We can ask the ghosts themselves if they exist!"

"We ain't gonna get any answers." Ryuji sighed.

Akira smirked. "Sounds like you're scared." He saw Mishima's eyes light up.

"There's nothing scary about it! Just sounds boring is all."

"That's okay Ryuji, we all have things we're scared of." Mishima turned to Akira with a grin. "Maybe we could ask Takamaki to take his place."

Ryuji jumped up, forcing Akira to dive to stop his lunch from spilling all over the floor. "Hell no! There's no way I'm letting you guys think I'm less brave then Ann! I'll do your stupid wee-whatever!"

A look of pure excitement appeared on Mishima's face. "Yes! Next time we hang out I can bring one!"

"Everyone's coming over next week. We could make it a group thing." It seemed like a fun idea. Maybe they would discover his new apartment was haunted by a demon or something. 

"Sounds like a plan!"

After lunch, the three boys managed to get everything in the apartment without incident. As Akira watched Ryuji and Mishima leave, he got the feeling that something was watching him. He turned around expecting to see Morgana but was met with empty space. He shrugged it off, all the ghost talk from earlier must have made him paranoid.

Akira spent the next few days alternating between working one of his many part time jobs, unpacking, and sleeping. He needed everything to at least be presentable for when his friends came which turned out to be much more tiring than he would have imagined. Akira never realized just how much stuff he had until he put it all in boxes. Taking everything out triggered the realization all over again.

One night, after a long day of work and unpacking, Akira was half asleep when he heard something fall in the living room. The sound startled him awake. At first he thought it was a burglar until he remembered he owned a cat who normally stayed up later than he did. When he went into the living room ready to scold Morgana, he found nothing. Just a photo of himself, Futaba, and Sojiro face down on the floor. He picked it up and was relieved that it hadn't been damaged in the fall. He was not awake enough to be cleaning glass out of his carpet. Akira placed the photo on his coffee table and made a mental note to double check the other photos he had hung up in the morning.

When Akira came into the living room the next morning, he saw the same photo on the floor again. Once again it was face down but unbroken. He assumed Morgana had just knocked it over last night before he came into bed.

A few days after the incident with the photo, Akira came home to see Morgana hissing at a corner. His fur was standing up and his back was arched. Akira went to look at what was distressing him but saw that there was nothing there. 

_It's a ghost._ Was his first thought. He immediately dismissed the idea, clearly his conversation with Ryuji and Mishima was still on his mind.

Akira watched as Morgana's attention moved around the room until he was hissing in the direction of the photo that had fallen a few days before. Akira had hung it up on the wall again and made absolute sure it was secure this time. At least he thought he did until that same photo seemed to fall off the wall in front of his very eyes with a force that seemed stronger than what it should have been. It looked less like it fell and more like it had been thrown to the ground when it shattered on the floor. Akira rushed across the room and grabbed Morgana before he could get cut by the glass on the floor. 

Akira locked Morgana in his bedroom while he vacuumed the glass and threw out the broken frame. When he checked the photo itself he was relieved to see it was undamaged. Futaba would kill him if they had to take another family photo because he ripped the first one. It had been hard enough to get all of them together for a picture the first time. Akira ended up putting it in his room for safe keeping, just until he could get another frame for it, preferably, a standing frame.

The night before the party Akira was in bed when a sudden chill came over him. He looked up tiredly at the window above him before he realized he wasn't in LeBlanc anymore. There was no window above his bed to let cold air in. The conversation from the week before played in his head once again. He shrugged it off, he'd just been playing along with Mishima to rile up Ryuji. His apartment wasn't haunted, it was just his imagination or a sudden draft or something. When the chill suddenly left, Akira felt relieved.

The rest of the night passed peacefully. Akira woke up the next morning and pushed away a lingering feeling of unease. Everything would be fine. Today was the day he'd get to see all his friends together.

Mishima and Ryuji were the first to arrive. In Mishima's hands was the Ouija board they would be using later. The feeling of unease from that morning returned but Akira ignored it.

"Do we have to do this?" Ryuji whined. Mishima grinned.

"You can always back out if you're too scared Ryuji." Mishima was clearly enjoying having the upper hand. It wasn't often that he got to tease people, normally it was the other way around. Especially when it involved Ryuji.

"Hell no!"

Ann was the next to arrive. As soon as she was through the door she gave Akira a hug. "It's been forever!" She let go of him and looked around. "This place is so cute!"

The sound of Ann's voice seemed to summon Morgana who appeared out of nowhere. He began to rub his head against Ann and purr. She had always been his favorite for some reason. Ann got down and began to pet Morgana before she turned her attention to Akira once again. "Shiho won't be able to make it but she said the three of us should hang out when she's in town." Akira nodded.

Yusuke arrived with Makoto and Haru. "I paid for his train ticket." Makoto explained when she saw Akira's confusion.

Akira watched as Yusuke inspected his apartment. "I wish that you had notified me that you were moving. I would have been happy to help you arrange everything in the most aesthetically pleasing manner."

Akira gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, it slipped my mind." It had not slipped his mind at all. In fact, the first thing he did when he asked Mishima and Ryuji to help him move was ask them not to tell Yusuke. He loved his friend dearly but building and arranging furniture with him sounded like hell on Earth. "Next time for sure."

Haru immediately went to join Ann in petting Morgana. "Hello Mona-chan!"

"Hello to you too Haru." Akira mumbled. Makoto chuckled at the two of them.

Futaba ended up being the last to arrive. "It took forever to get Sojiro to let me take the train by myself." She explained. "By the way, he said that if I'm not staying the night then you need to escort me home." With that, Futaba went to visit with Morgana.

Akira's small apartment was fairly crowded with everyone there but that was fine. Most of the day was just spent talking. There was a lot of catching up. Akira talked about how his year back home was while Ann, Ryuji, and Mishima talked about what he missed out on at Shujin. Futaba talked about how her second year went at her school, some prestigious place that sounds leagues better than the hellhole that was Shujin. Yusuke went into great detail about the university that he was going to on an art scholarship and passionately explained the concept for the next painting he was planning. It luckily did not involve anyone in their friend group posing nude. Makoto and Haru each talked about their experiences at university, how annoying some classes were and how happy they were to be able to go to the same school still. 

Everything was going great when Mishima brought out the Ouija board. "We," He gestured to himself and Akira. "Wanted to prove to Sakamoto whether or not ghosts exist."

"They don't!" Ryuji yelled with absolute confidence.

"So who wants to join us?" Mishima asked. 

"I think I'll sit this one out." Makoto seemed slightly nervous. She had always been more nervous about things like this than she had let on. Haru grabbed her hand and smiled. They didn't need verbal confirmation to know she would be staying by Makoto's side.

Ann shrugged. "I'm in."

"Me too!" Futaba grinned as she looked at Yusuke. "What about you Inari?"

"I have no interest in communing with the dead."

"Not even some famous painter?"

He paused for a second to consider. "If such a thing occurs then I'll join."

Mishima unboxed the Ouija board and placed it on the coffee table in the center of the room. The five people playing sat around it on the floor while Yusuke, Haru, and Makoto sat on Akira's couch and watched.

Akira was the first to place his hand on the planchette. A chill went down his spine which he chalked up to an overactive imagination. Still, he couldn't help but think about the photo which was resting in the dresser in his bedroom and the force that shattered the glass in the frame.

"Do you want to start Akira?" Ann asked. "It's your apartment so maybe the ghosts will listen to you." 

Akira nodded and cleared his throat. "Is anyone there?" A second passed and nothing happened. Akira tried again. "Are there any spirits here with us tonight?" The whole thing felt a bit ridiculous which made Akira feel better about it. It had been silly to get worked up over ghosts.

Ryuji looked like he was about to say something when suddenly the planchette moved to **YES**. He scoffed. "That doesn't mean anything!"

"Was this your apartment?" Ann asked. A second passed before the planchette moved again. It went to some of the blank space on the board before landing again on **YES**. Behind him, Akira could hear Morgana hissing just like he had a few nights ago.

Haru went to comfort him and Makoto followed. "What's wrong Mona-chan?"

"He's been doing that lately." Akira explained. It was something new for Morgana and he would be lying if he said it didn't concern him a little. Something about this place was distressing for him but Akira didn't really know how to fix it. Maybe he was just stressed from the new enviornment.

They waited for Morgana to calm down a little before they continued their game. "How old were you when you died?" Mishima asked. The planchette moved, **1-8** "Eighteen? That's around our age."

Ryuji looked like he was getting annoyed. "Alright, come on, someone's clearly moving it." He turned to Futaba. "You trying to scare us or something?"

"It's not me." She said with a shrug. 

"What's your name?" Ann asked, ignoring Ryuji. The planchette moved off the numbers before it stopped for a second. It was almost like it was considering what to spell out. When it started moving it spelled **G-O-R-O**.

"This is bull."

"Akira, why don't you ask it something?" Futaba suggested. "Take your hand off and ask a question only you and Mona would know."

Akira nodded and did as he was told. When he took his hand off the planchette, it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It was a bizarre feeling. He took a moment to consider his question before the incident with the picture came to mind. "Did you knock down that photo?" He asked. The planchette moved to **YES**.

Everyone looked to Akira to see if that was the right answer. He just gave a small nod. "Come on man, someone could have guessed that. Do something more specific."

"Why did you do it?"

Akira watched the planchette move. **A-N-G-R-Y**. He immediately thought of how the photo had fallen too fast, like someone had thrown it. Morgana started to hiss again. Haru tried to comfort him but it just wasn't working. Futaba decided to leave the game to help Haru calm him down. Her presence seemed to help but not by much.

"What made you angry?"

The planchette moved once again, this time it was less smooth. The motions were more jagged and angry. **F-A-M-I-L-Y**. Akira froze. He hadn't told anyone about that incident yet. Not about the picture frame falling nor about what was in said frame. The only person who even knew about that specific photo was Futaba but she wasn't at the board.

"Are you alright?" Akira heard Yusuke ask from the couch. He turned and gave a small nod. When he looked back at the group at the board he saw them watching him expectantly.

"A few nights ago I hung up a picture that fell a couple times. I didn't see the first two times but the third time Morgana was hissing at it and then it just fell and shattered." He turned to Futaba. "It was the one you and me took with Boss before I went back home."

"Y-you're lying!" Ryuji didn't sound as confident as before. "Maybe someone just- I dunno, made a lucky guess?"

"Maybe you guys should stop." Makoto said. She looked more nervous than before. "I think you've proven your point." She quickly added.

"No we didn't because ghosts aren't real!"

"Ryuji, if you're so insistent, why don't you play alone?" Yusuke suggested sounding completely calm. "Surely if the piece doesn't move then you would know your answer."

"Hell no!" Ryuji yelled far too fast for someone who wasn't scared. "I-I mean, doesn't the thing need at least two people to work?"

Everyone looked at Mishima. "The instructions said at least two players are recommended."

"So we should keep going?" Ann seemed unsure as she looked between Ryuji and Mishima. The planchette moved. **A-K-I-R-A**.

Akira felt his blood freeze. If all of this was some kind of prank to scare everyone, then someone was doing a good job. Akira placed his hand on the planchette again. Something screamed it was a bad idea but he felt almost compelled to do it.

"Goro, are you angry right now?" He watched as the planchette moved to **NO** then to **YES**. Akira paused for a moment. "Do you know how you feel right now?" The planchette settled on **NO**.

"How did you die?" Futaba asked. Akira wanted to turn to look at her but he couldn't take his eyes off the board. A second passed where nothing happened before the planchette slowly began to move. **M-U-R-D-E-R**. 

"Who killed you?" Akira asked without thinking. Something told him he had to know. He felt the room's temperature lower a few degrees as Morgana's hissing grew louder. Akira could imagine that all his hair was standing on end just like the day he'd come home. Suddenly the planchette jerked forward with a force no one was expecting. Akira and the others nearly lost their grip on it as it spelled out **S-H-I-D-O**. 

"Who's Shido?" Mishima asked with an unsteady voice. The planchette jerked forward again. It furiously began moving around the board. **B-A-S-T-A-R-D B-A-S-T-A-R-D B-A-S-T-A-R-D**. The lights began to flicker but the planchette didn't stop circling the board. Suddenly, the planchette went flying off the coffee table as the power in Akira's apartment went out. Akira heard Makoto scream, maybe Ann did too but he wasn't sure. 

When Akira looked up from the board, he was in his apartment but everything was different. The furniture wasn't his. The walls were bare. He felt something warm at his side. He turned to see the lifeless body of a boy who couldn't be any older than him. Blood was seeping from his head as his lifeless red eyes stared at him. His hair was a mess of brown and red. Akira looked down where he felt the warmth and realized that he was sitting in a pool of the boy, _Goro's_ , blood. The smell was overwhelming. Akira felt like he was going to be sick.

Suddenly Goro sat up. His eyes remained lifeless as he grabbed Akira's wrist. His hands were freezing. The cold spread through his body in a way that was so much worse than the chill he had felt the night before. Goro leaned in closer. "Akira." He whispered with a raspy voice. 

Akira felt himself scream as he returned to reality. He jumped up from where he was sitting and backed away from the board. He nearly tripped in the dark but that didn't matter, he just needed to get away from the Ouija board as fast as possible. Akira scrambled for his phone to use as a flashlight so he could find the door and _escape_. Luckily, Mishima had the same idea. He managed to find his first and lit the way to the door. Everyone was out of the apartment in seconds.

"The hell was that?!" Ryuji yelled once they were outside the building. Akira didn't know what to say. He had no clue what the hell was going on but _something_ had just happened. There was no way in hell he was staying there tonight. Suddenly Akira remembered that he hadn't grabbed Morgana in his panic. He looked at his friends and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that Futaba had him. He walked over to her and held out his hand only to be scratched at by Morgana. 

Morgana started to hiss again which drew Futaba's attention. "I think he's really stressed out right now." Akira nodded as he held his hand. Morgana had never scratched him before, he must have been just as shaken as everyone else.

"I can't go back in there."

Futaba nodded. "Sojiro won't mind if you stay tonight."

"If he does," Ann added. "You're always welcome at my house."

"Thank you." Akira was trying his best to act calm but it was difficult when everyone was freaking out to some degree. Whether it was Makoto who was clinging tightly to Haru or Yusuke who looked stoic despite his light trembling, it was clear how scared and uncertain everyone was. Even Ryuji looked terrified.

"I think it would be best if everyone headed home for the night." Haru suggested as she glanced at the apartment building. Everyone seemed to agree as they went their separate ways. Akira followed behind Futaba as she walked to the train station. The streetlamps lit their way to the train station. The closed shops they served as a reminder of just how late it was. As Akira preoccupied himself with watching Futaba and periodically checking the time, he failed to notice the reflection of a bloody boy who followed him to the station.


	2. Chapter 2

The arrangement at Sojiro's house left Akira sleeping on the couch and Morgana staying with Futaba. A questioning look from Sojiro had been met with the promise that they would explain in the morning.

Sojiro came into the dark living room with a blanket and a pillow. "Make sure you bundle up."

"Thanks again."

Sojiro sighed. "Just call ahead next time you do this." Akira couldn't see his face but he had no trouble imagining the exasperated yet fond expression he had. It was something he had become familiar with during his year staying in LeBlanc. No matter how much Sojiro pretended he didn't care or he said he was being inconvenienced, Akira knew he would always be there to help when he needed it. 

When Akira eventually fell asleep, Goro's face haunted his dreams. Everywhere he turned, all he could find was the image of him, blood running down his head in a manner that was far too messy to see the extent of the wound. His unblinking eyes were burned into Akira's mind. The scent of copper and decay had surrounded him. It felt so suffocating, like the smell had tainted the air and made it toxic. When Akira woke up the next morning, he found Sojiro's blanket wrapped around his neck.

Akira was exhausted when he went to LeBlanc for breakfast. Everywhere he looked, the shadows seemed darker. Each sound set off his paranoid mind even after reminding himself that whatever had happened the night before was over. When Akira got to the door, a flash of red and brown reflected in the glass made his heart race. He quickly turned around but was greeted with nothing. He was getting tired of his mind playing tricks on him.

As soon as Sojiro saw Akira stumble through the door, he crossed his arms. "You look awful." He stated with a frown. Even in his tired state, Akira could hear the concern in his voice. "You hungry?"

Akira nodded as he took a seat at the counter. He hadn't eaten anything since before everyone came over the day before. Luckily, his stomach hadn't quite registered that it was hungry yet. Akira rested his head in his hands as he waited for the curry to cook. The familiar scent was comforting as was the familiar setting. The sound of the curry seemed like it started to move further away. It was nice to have a place like LeBlanc to call home. He really was lucky to have Sojiro around...

"Hey." Sojiro's voice startled Akira awake. A plate of curry was placed in front of him along with a cup of coffee. "After breakfast you can tell me what happened." 

The food was just as delicious as Akira remembered. Eating Sojiro's curry really showed Akira that his paled in comparison. The coffee did a great deal to help him wake up. Normally he tried to avoid too much caffeine but today he really needed it. Somehow he had managed to wake up more tired than when he went to bed which was not something he could say he'd done before. 

A sudden chill reminded him of the night before. The apparent spirit they had summoned into his apartment. Goro. If he hadn't seen everything with his own eyes, he would have never believed the story. It all still felt unreal but he knew it had happened.

The bell above the door rang. Akira looked and saw Futaba walk in looking considerably more well rested than him. She gave a small yawn as she took a seat next to Akira.

"How's Morgana doing?" Akira asked. Poor Morgana must have had a hard night between the ghosts and the sudden evacuation of his apartment.

"He calmed down when he got in my room. I think he was still sleeping when I left." Akira nodded feeling relieved. 

"So," Sojiro stood in front of Futaba and Akira. He was just barely taller than the two of them when they were sitting. "Either of you want to tell me why this guy ended up crashing on my couch last night?"

Futaba and Akira looked at each other silently asking the other to explain. What was there to say? A ghost had chased them out of his apartment? They couldn't just go around saying stuff like that without sounding crazy but they needed to come up with something. Sojiro was looking at them expectantly so Akira finally said something, "There was an issue with the electricity." It wasn't a lie.

Sojiro looked skeptical. "Right... Nothing else?"

"Nope!" Futaba said with a bright smile. Sojiro sighed.

"You weren't drinking or anything last night, were you?"

Akira nearly choked on his coffee. "No! Never! Not with Futaba around!" Next to him, Futaba started laughing. 

"Just tell me when that 'electricity' of yours is fixed." Sojiro said with a small smirk. Akira opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a large _crash_. He nearly jumped out of his seat from the noise. "Damn it!"

On the floor inches away from where Sojiro was standing was a broken plate. The situation with the picture frame came to mind. "Are you okay!" Futaba yelled as she jumped to her feet. She quickly crossed to the other side of the counter but was waved off by Sojiro.

"Akira grab the broom." Akira quickly did as he was told. When he returned he got a better look at the scene. The plate looked pretty heavy. If Sojiro had been standing over to the side a little more, it could have been serious.

**_A-N-G-R-Y_ **

**_F-A-M-I-L-Y_ **

Akira pushed the thought from his mind. Whatever happened last night was at his apartment. He tried to assure himself that it was just a coincidence but he couldn't quite bring himself to believe it.

Morgana hissed at Akira as he sat on Futaba's bed. "Do you think he's mad at me for something?" He suggested. Futaba just shrugged. She spun around in her computer chair and whistled. Morgana stopped hissing for a moment to jump in her lap before he promptly started again.

"Maybe it's the Ouija board?" Futaba started gently petting him to calm him down. "I'm pretty sure animals are supposed to be able to sense all sorts of weird stuff."

"But you used it too."

"Yeah but I used it before all the crazy stuff happened."

The image of Goro's body went through Akira's mind. "Crazy stuff..." He echoed. "I haven't heard from anyone since last night."

"Me neither..." Futaba frowned. Akira shifted further from Futaba and Morgana but the cat's hissing didn't stop. "So... What do we do about your apartment? I mean it's super haunted so do we do an exorcism or something?"

"Maybe we should-" Akira paused. He suddenly remembered the Oujia board sitting on his coffee table at home. The large **GOODBYE** on the bottom. "We didn't say goodbye."

"What?"

"Aren't you supposed to say goodbye?" A few seconds passed, Futaba didn't answer. "I'm calling Mishima."

Akira stood outside his apartment building with Futaba, Ryuji, Ann, and Mishima. Both Futaba and Akira agreed it would be best to leave Morgana at Sojiro's house for the time being.

"Do we really have to do this?" Ryuji asked. Ann elbowed him in the arm. "What!"

"We had to come back at some point." Akira said. "It'll be fine." Despite the confident front he tried to put on, Akira couldn't stop himself from being nervous. A lot had happened the night before that couldn't be explained. But still, he couldn't live on Sojiro's couch. Reluctantly, Akira led the group in the building. He was somewhat relieved to find his door unlocked. It wouldn't have been great if he had to call a locksmith, especially since he didn't really have money for that. For the first time, he could really empathize with Yusuke's plight.

As Akira entered the apartment he was surprised by the lack of weird feelings. He had been feeling a sort of unease since the night before but entering his apartment didn't add to it like he would have expected. Maybe that was a good sign. After a few moments in the apartment, Akira realized that the lights were on. At some point after they left the power had come back on which was both good and bad. His electric bill was probably going to be higher than he would have liked but at least a ghost hadn't ruined the wiring in his apartment or anything like that. While he turned off the lights, Ann went in the living room and picked up the planchette from the floor. She placed it on the board which hadn't been moved at all and sat down. Everyone soon joined her but made no move for the planchette.

Akira was the first to put his hand on the planchette. A chill went through his body. He tried to convince himself he was imagining it but he was doing a horrible job. Soon, everyone's hands joined his on the planchette but that didn't help to dispell the tangle of emotions he was feeling. Akira took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he called out, "Is anyone here?" The planchette didn't move. Akira repeated the question, "Is anyone here?" The planchette slowly moved to **YES**.

"You have to go now." Mishima called out. He sounded uncertain but Akira could respect the effort. The planchette didn't move. Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Mishima tried again, "We're ending the game. You have to go." He didn't sound any more confident than before. Akira's hand felt cold as the planchette began to move. It settled on **NO**.

Ryuji slammed his free hand on the coffee table. "The hell do you mean no?! It's not up to you!" The planchette moved then settled on **NO** again.

"What do you want?" Ann asked. Nothing. She turned to Mishima who looked just as lost as everyone else.

"Why won't you leave?" Futaba asked. Again, the planchette remained on **NO**. " _Can_ you leave?" The planchette moved. **M-A-Y-B-E**. "You don't know?" 

Ryuji looked annoyed. "Well you can't stay here!" The planchette remained still for a moment before it suddenly jerked forward. Everyone but Akira nearly lost their grip on it as it spelled **M-I-N-E**. As the planchette moved in violent jerky motions, Akira realized the _he_ was the one moving it. His arm felt cold and numb as it moved the planchette with no input from him. Akira realized with a dawning horror that he couldn't move his body. A cold seemed to seep into his bones. It brought him back to his vision from the night before. The smell of blood overwhelmed his senses but there was no obvious source.

"This place belongs to Akira now!" Mishima yelled. The planchette continued its fast and jerky motions to spell **A-K-I-R-A**. Out of the corner of his eye, Akira was fairly sure could see his friends looking at him but he couldn't look up from the board to confirm. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"Akira, are you okay?" Ann's voice sounded so far away. He wanted to answer her but his body just wouldn't listen to him. He was stuck staring at the board. "Akira!"

A warm hand grabbed Akira's shoulder. Everything else felt so cold. "Hey! Say something!" Ryuji's voice sounded almost distorted. "Why are you-"

Akira couldn't understand the rest. It was too far away and distorted. Everything seemed to fade out except the board. The cold overtook the warmth where Ryuji's hand once was.

"Akira..." Goro's raspy voice whispered once again. Akira could see a hand on top of his own. It was deathly pale and radiated cold. Akira jerked his head, finally able to move again, so he could look at where he heard the voice. Nothing. All at once, the cold seemed to leave as the world came back into focus. The smell of blood lessened but didn't entirely dissapear.

"-okay? Akira!" Futaba looked like she was about to cry. The planchette jerked to **GOODBYE**. Akira immediately took his hand off the board as if it had burned him.

"What just happened?" He asked. He looked around and saw his friends looking panicked.

Ryuji placed his other hand on Akira's shoulder as Ann moved to hug him. Futaba quickly made her way around the table to be closer to Akira. "You were just staring." Mishima explained, he looked especially shaken. "W-we tried to get your attention but-"

Ryuji laughed, it looked like he had tears in his eyes. "You scared the hell outta me man! You were all cold and shit."

"I wanted to do something but I couldn't take my hand off the board." Futaba said with a shaky voice. "It felt like something was holding it there."

Mishima nodded. "I felt that too." He shied away from Akira's gaze looking guilty. "I'm so sorry for all this."

If Ann hadn't wrapped herself around Akira and restricted his arm movement, Akira would have put his hand on Mishima's shoulder. "You didn't do anything wrong." He said, trying to sound as comforting as possible. "Everything's okay now."

Mishima hesitated for a moment. Slowly he met Akira's gaze with a nod. Suddenly his eyes lit up, "I read that people use sage to get rid of evil spirits!" He looked around. "I can go to a store and find some!"

Ryuji jumped to his feet. "I'll go with you!" He looked at Akira, Futaba, and Ann. "You guys gonna be ok here?"

Akira nodded and gave a thumbs up. He looked between Ann and Futaba who looked relieved. Futaba moved so that she could hug Akira too. They both felt so warm. It was comforting.

Akira's apartment was filled with the smell of sage when everyone left. They had offered to stay the night and keep him company but he refused. After a lot of assuring, they reluctantly agreed to let Akira stay on his own. It seemed that no one else could smell the blood or else they never would have let Akira stay. He wasn't even entirely sure why he wanted to stay but something was telling him it would be a bad idea to spend another night at Sojiro's.

"Call someone if anything happens. And I mean _anything_." Ann demanded. "I don't care what time it is."

"Don't worry, I will."

Mishima looked at the Ouija board on the table. "I should get rid of that." He said. He started to walk towards it which for some reason made Akira nervous.

"I can handle it!" Akira said too fast. Everyone gave him a worried look but he brushed it off. "If it attracts ghosts or something then it would be safer to keep it here, right? The sage should make sure nothing bad happens and then I can burn it in the morning."

Mishima looked unsure but nodded anyways. "If that's what you think..."

"If something happens then come to our house." Futaba said. "Sojiro will understand."

"Don't worry." Akira smiled. Futaba gave him a quick hug before she left with Ann.

It was silent in the apartment when Akira got ready for bed. He missed Morgana's presence but he could go one night without him around. In fact, it would probably be better if they waited until everything settled down a little more before Morgana came back. He didn't want to upset him and when he seemed to be the cause of Morgana's distress right now, it would be best if he just left the cat in Futaba's care for the time being. Besides, he wasn't sure he could take the hissing anymore.

When Akira went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he froze at the sight in the mirror. Behind his reflection stood Goro, fresh blood seemed to be dripping from his head despite the fact that his pale complexion gave the impression that he didn't have any left. His light brown hair was messy on the side with more blood while the rest of his hair was relatively tame. His red eyes looked bloodshot but no less lifeless. He was perfectly still in the mirror. No breathing or blinking changed his reflection. Aira whipped around but found no one. Just empty air and the overwhelming smell of copper which was much more powerful than what had lingered for the past few hours. A chill came over him. He slowly turned back to the mirror where he saw Goro's arms draped over him. Akira couldn't move, it was just like before with the Ouija board but that was supposed to be _over_. The blood from Goro's wound dripped on Akira's shirt but he couldn't feel it. In the mirror, Akira saw Goro slowly turn his head. A raspy voice whispered in his ear.

_"Mine."_


	3. Chapter 3

Akira couldn't move. He could hardly _breathe_ as an overwhelming cold spread throughout his body. Every nerve felt as though it was trapped in ice.

He stared forward at the mirror, unable to look away. Freezing arms that weren't really there held him in place. Blood was quickly soaking his shirt but it wasn't _real_. None of it was. Not the dead boy holding him, not the cold that was starting to become painful, and not the overwhelming stench of blood that made Akira's head spin. He wanted to close his eyes and will it all away. To remind himself that _this_ couldn't happen but instead, he was forced to stare ahead.

Akira _felt_ Goro's grip get tighter. He _felt_ cold arms press against him. He _felt_ a head rest on his shoulder. Akira wanted to _run,_ **_escape_** , but his body wouldn't listen to him. Akira watched as his arms moved by themselves. His hands grabbed Goro's. It felt like his arms had been submerged in ice water as they throbbed painfully from the cold.

A wide grin spread across Goro's face. Akira's eyes closed without any input from him. Suddenly, his entire body felt completely numb. Everything was silent including his heart which should have been pounding right now. Suddenly, his eyes flew open.

Akira was sitting in his living room but the furniture was all wrong. He was still unable to move as all the heat seeped out of his body. The smell of blood was faint but still present as he(?) looked through a folder. His hands moved on their own as they flipped through the papers. Akira couldn't make out any of the words no matter how hard he tried. The sound of the front door opening drew his attention. His(?) head snapped in the direction of the door.

A dark figure entered the apartment. Akira felt an overwhelming _anger_ that wasn't his. The figure looked around but froze when it saw him(?) staring at it. His body stood up on its own, holding the folder protectively against his chest. The figure closed the door and approached. Anger mixed with fear and paranoia.

"You're working for _him_ , aren't you?!" A voice that was not his own screamed. Akira realized it was _Goro_ who had said it. He was in _Goro's_ body, not his own. "He wants me gone!" The way he yelled sounded desperate and unhinged.

The figure said something that Akira couldn't understand. He felt the rage overpower all the other emotions, Akira recognized that it wasn't him that was feeling it. Goro began to yell. Everything grew hazy as the words became incomprehensible. Something seemed to materialize in the figures hand as Goro noticed it. Suddenly, a rush of pain and blood. Goro stumbled, dazed and confused, before he fell to ground. The smell of blood grew worse until it overwhelmed Akira. His head started to swim as his vision faded. Vaguely, Akira registered that Goro had dropped the folder. Scattered papers soon got soaked with the blood that was rapidly leaving his body. Akira heard the figure say something garbled once more before his vision faded to black.

Akira's eyes shot open as he gasped for air. He brought his hand to his chest as he sat up from where he was laying. His heart was still beating, he was alive. Slowly, the cold from before left. Akira looked around and realized that he was in the living room, not the bathroom like he had been only minutes before. The soft light that came through the window told him that it was morning. He could feel a headache coming on as he slowly got up. He closed his eyes only to be greeted with the image of Goro's face. He quickly opened his eyes. It was a nightmare. It had to have been. Akira tried to tell himself that none of it was real yet he was unable to fully convince himself. Not when he felt the presence of another person in his empty apartment.

As Akira looked around the room, his gaze was drawn to the Ouija board sitting on the coffee table. For a moment he stared at it dumbfounded as he belated realized that he was in the living room, not the bathroom where he had been mere minutes ago. He refocused himself and looked for whatever box Mishima had brought the board in. He couldn't stand to look at it anymore. When he finally found it, he delicately packed the board away.

He looked at the box, debating what to do with it. Something told him it would be _wrong_ to just get rid of it. His heart began to race at the thought of it even leaving the apartment. At the same time, he never wanted to see it again. Akira glared at the box. At the thing that started... whatever the hell was going on. This series of _nightmares_ that he had been experiencing for the past few days. He _wanted_ to get rid of the damn thing but he couldn't bring himself to do it. In the end, he made a compromise. The board was tucked under his bed, hidden from the word but still secure in his apartment.

Akira was left to deal with everything once the board was out of sight. He found himself finally processing what had happened. That apparently murder he had witnessed from the victim's point of view. A murder. A nightmare that felt real but couldn't be. There was no way to explain why the hell he had been able to see that. He couldn't explain the cold or the blood or the _ghost_ that seemed to-

 ** _Mine_**.

A chill ran down Akira's spine. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He quickly searched for his phone. As soon as he found it, he left his apartment. He didn't even bother changing out of his pajamas, he just threw on a coat and shoes as he rushed out of the building. He couldn't handle it anymore. Akira went through his contacts looking for someone to call, He needed to talk to someone, to not feel so _alone_.

A harsh wind kicked up as Akira scrolled through his contacts. New leaves on the trees shook violently as _something_ stopped him. It was as if someone was physically holding his hand back whenever he tried to call anyone. His finger hovered over the button for a moment before he finally gave up. The wind died down leaving everything feeling much more calm. More normal. He suddenly felt ridiculous.

_Call me if anything happens, okay?_

But did anything happen? His head hurt as a chill came over him. Did anything really happen? That _vision_ or whatever it was, it was just a-

**_"Nightmare."_ **

Akira cradled his head. Everything felt _wrong_. He could hardly even think straight. He was-

_**"Paranoid."** _

Akira stared at his apartment building for a moment. It was far too cold to be standing outside like this, even with a coat. He hesitated before he walked back inside feeling like someone was guiding him. A quiet voice in the back of Akira's mind urged him to fight against the pull. To turn back and call for help. It was quickly drowned out by a much more powerful voice. One that told him not to worry, one that sounded suspiciously like-

_"He wants me gone!"_

The words echoed through Akira's head, derailing his train of thought. He reentered his apartment, unable to stop thinking about what he had seen. In that nightmare(?) Goro had been terrified of someone, of-

**_"Shido."_ **

A sudden rage consumed him. Akira searched through his belongings for the laptop he had bought for university. Cold hands guided his movements. A familiar chill set into his bones but there was no fear. Instead, there was only a burning anger, rage towards the man who caused Goro's death. The room felt colder as the computer booted up. 

Akira's head was pounding. Some part of him knew that what he felt wasn't his own emotions but he couldn't bring himself to care. He needed-

**_"Revenge."_ **

Goro's raspy voice whispered in his ear. Akira found himself nodding along. **_Revenge_**. Akira stared forward at the computer. In its reflection he could see Goro behind him, a grin spread across his face as stood behind Akira. He turned his head and came face to face with Goro. Akira's breath hitched as Goro's dead eyes stared straight into his own. He quickly turned away ignoring the way his heart sped up at the sight.

The computer turned on. Akira typed the password and paused. Goro's hands pressed against his before they began to move without him. Goro guided his movements. Everything seemed to fade out of existence except the task in front of him. Akira worked through the cold and building exhaustion, he needed to find a way to take **_revenge_** on that **_bastard._**

Ryuji woke up to the rapid sound of typing. He looked around, still groggy from sleep, to see Yuuki on the bed next to him with his laptop open.

"You're up early." He said as he sat up. Yuuki nearly jumped as his eyes darted to Ryuji. They were slightly bloodshot with dark circles showing that he had spent the entire night on his computer. "Did you even get _any_ sleep?"

"I was worried." Was all he said before he returned to his typing. Ryuji climbed out of his bed and took a seat next to Yuuki. Yuuki shifted slightly to allow him space on the bed. The computer screen displayed what looked to be a forum about supernatural encounters. On the browser Ryuji noticed that he had at least ten other tabs open in the background but he didn't bother to actually count them.

"You still worried about that ghost shit?" He yawned and leaned his head on Yuuki's shoulder. "I thought we dealt with that already."

Yuuki paused his typing for a moment. He looked down at Ryuji and sighed. "I'm still worried about Akira. Didn't you see how weird he was acting last night?"

"He was probably scared or something." Ryuji lifted his head to meet Yuuki's eyes.

Yuuki shook his head. "When has Akira ever been scared?" He frowned and turned his attention back to the computer.

Ryuji paused for a second to think. "Maid Watch." He said after a few seconds.

Yuuki didn't even look up but Ryuji could see a slight blush on his face. "That's different." He turned his head to face Ryuji, "And we all agreed never to talk about that again."

Ryuji grinned. "Yeah?" He took advantage of Yuuki's distraction to close his laptop, ignoring his roommate's protest as he did. "Dude, you need some sleep. If Akira _is_ still being haunted or some shit I don't think passing out on him would help."

"But I-"

"No buts!" Ryuji shoved Yuuki back on the bed so he was laying down then joined him. He partially laid on him to pin the weaker boy in place. "Can't fight ghosts or whatever without a good night's sleep!"

"Ryuji!" He struggled for a moment before he gave up. "At least get off of me!" Ryuji saw Yuuki's face turn bright red. 

He considered for a second before he shook his head. "I'm comfy like this." He grinned at Yuuki which earned him a half-hearted glare. They stayed like that for a moment before Yuuki eventually sighed, resigned to his fate. It wasn't long before he fell asleep. He must have been exhausted considering he wasn't exactly used to pulling all nighters. That was a habit _both_ of them had kicked since highschool.

Ryuji repositioned himself so he wasn't crushing the poor guy. Normally he would let Yuuki stay up and deal with his own poor decisions but not today. Not after what had happened last night. Not when Yuuki had thought it was his fault. Ryuji didn't want to see him punish himself for no reason, especially when everything was _fine_ now.

Ryuji got up and got dressed. He glanced at Yuuki before he grabbed his phone to call Akira. He _had_ been acting weird the night before. Ryuji waited for Akira to pick up but he never did. He figured he was probably still asleep, not everyone got up early for a morning jog. He sent a quick text before he put his phone in his pocket and went out to get some exercise in.

**Me > **call me when u get up

Futaba looked at her phone debating whether she should call or text. She needed to check in with Akira but she wasn't sure if he was even awake yet. Then again, she wasn't sure he had actually slept either. She wasn't sure of anything at the moment. Futaba looked at the time, it was already noon but knowing Akira he might still be sleeping. She decided to text so she wouldn't disturb him. He'd already had a rough night with all the craziness that happened the night before. 

**Me >** How r u feeling?

 **Me >** Text me back when u see this

She placed her phone down and looked at Morgana who was currently sleeping peacefully on her bed. Akira would be back at some point to pick him up. She'd see him anyways so there was no reason to be worried. That's what she told herself to chase away the building dread. Everything was fine.

"Futaba!" Sojiro called. Futaba nearly jumped out of her chair. "Are you getting up today?"

"I'll be down in a sec!" She called back. She looked at her phone for a second and sent one more text before she went downstairs.

**Futaba >** Could u check on Akira?

Ann looked at the text as she stood on the train. Scenarios ran through her mind. Akira injured, scared, _dead_. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down as she read the text again.

**Me >** Did something happen?

 **Futaba >** Im just worried

Ann let out a sigh of relief feeling a little ridiculous. If something had happened to Akira, Futaba probably wouldn't have just sent a text. She would have called or just said that something had happened. Ann probably wouldn't be the first person she contacted either, she probably would have started with Boss then went to Makoto or something.

**Me >** I'll stop by after my shoot

 **Futaba >** thnx 

Ann opened her chat with Akira. She looked through it for a moment, smiling at all the pictures she had sent of her and Shiho before she sent out a text.

**Me >** I'll be in the area later

 **Me > **I'm coming over and you can't stop me

Ann waited a moment for a reply before she put her phone away. Akira might have still been sleeping or he could have been busy or something. If anything had happened then he would have called like Ann told him to. Everything was fine. _It was fine_.

The photo shoot went fine. Despite how distracted she was, Ann managed to get through it with relatively few issues. As soon as she was free to go, she checked her phone expecting _something_ from Akira only to be greeted with the same unread texts that she had sent a few hours ago. He was busy. Ann tried to convince herself that nothing was wrong. She tried to convince herself that Akira was just fine but she couldn’t. He normally at least _read_ his texts unless he was at work but Akira didn’t have work until later that night at Crossroads. He could have been sleeping but three in the afternoon was pushing it, even for him.

Ann dialed Akira’s number. She held her breath as the phone rang. He would pick up and they would laugh about how worried she got over nothing.

_”This is Akira! I can’t come to the phone right now so leave a message!”_

Ann tried again.

_”This is Akira! I can’t come to the phone right now so leave a message!”_

Something was _wrong_. A small part of her told her that she was being ridiculous, that this didn’t prove anything. Another part of her couldn’t ignore the sheer dread that she felt. She rushed to the station. If she was wrong and everything was fine, she could deal with it later. For now, she needed to find out if Akira was okay.


	4. Chapter 4

Akira's phone buzzed on the desk. The screen lit up, revealing a call from Ann only to quickly turn off and repeat the process. Meanwhile, Akira stared at his computer, the only thing other than Goro that existed at the moment. He needed information. _Goro_ needed this of him. He needed to help him.

Akira began searching for any scrap of information he could find on Masayoshi Shido, all while Goro guided him. When he saw a picture of the man, he froze. His body tensed as he recognized the reason he had ever been sent to Tokyo in the first place. The monsters he'd stood up to those few years ago only to be thrust into the uncaring justice system.

Akira felt a burning rage almost strong enough to chase away the cold that enveloped him. He could feel Goro's presence next to him grow stronger.

 ** _"You know him."_** His voice was slightly less raspy but much more sinister. He could almost hear the gears turning in Goro's mind. When Akira turned to him, he saw his smirk. His eyes sparkled with an energy that almost seemed _alive_.

 _"Akira!"_ Akira could vaguely hear a muffled voice that stood out from the white noise that surrounded him. Goro turned his head towards the wall as if looking through it. The voice sounded familiar.

 _"Come on!"_ Goro turned back towards Akira. The smell of blood overwhelmed him as Goro stepped closer. He grabbed Akira's hand and pulled him up. Akira allowed himself to be led to the door where the voice grew louder.

Vaguely he could hear someone banging on the door. Probably the same person yelling. Once they got to the door, Akira's body seemed to move on its own. He felt far away from everything as he saw a worried girl standing outside his apartment. _Ann,_ his mind supplied. Of course, Ann, he should have known that. He'd seen her plenty of times.

The first thing Ann did was hug him only to recoil. "Akira what happened?" She sounded, worried? He was having trouble focusing on her. His mind was still stuck on the task he needed to do for Goro. The **_revenge_** they needed to exact. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Goro staring at him. Something calculating in his gaze.

Suddenly, everything faded into background noise. He could feel Goro's cold arms wrap around him. He leaned into the sensation as everything faded into darkness.

Ann banged on Akira's door. She didn't know how long she'd been there but that didn't matter. What mattered was that Akira _wasn't answering anything_ and she needed to know that he was okay. She needed to tell Futaba that everything was fine. To tell /herself/ that nothing bad had happened.

"Akira!" She yelled. She was making enough noise to wake the dead. If Akira was home there was no way he hadn't heard her. "Come on!"

She paused for a moment. Once she did, she could hear shuffling behind the door. Slowly, Akira opened the door. He looked disheveled. His hair was messy, he had dark rings under his eyes as if he hadn't been sleeping which weren't present the night before. He seemed like he was paler than normal.

Ann rushed forward and hugged him. She immediately noticed how cold he was. It reminded her of the night before. How he had been with the Ouija board when they couldn't get him to respond. Against her better judgement, she let go. Something was wrong. Akira's eyes were unfocused as he looked at her, she realized that he didn't have his glasses on. "Akira what happened?" She stepped forward and felt a sudden chill. "Are you okay?"

Akira suddenly blinked and smiled. "I'm fine." He gave a smile that looked all wrong. It was too plastic to be his real one. She stepped forward but he stepped back. "You didn't need to check on me."

"You weren't answering your phone. Akira, I tried to call you, Futaba asked me to check on you! We were worried about you!" Ann couldn't help raising her voice. There was obviously something wrong with him but he still refused to even reach out to anyone. "Why didn't you even check your phone?"

For a moment, Ann saw Akira narrow his eyes at her before it was gone. She thought she might have just imagined it but, maybe not. Something about him seemed to shift. He seemed more threatening as he took a step forward. "I'm sorry, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to be busy _Ann_." He smiled but it was all **wrong**. Ann found herself stepping back, she wanted to run from whoever the hell was standing in front of her. "Like I said, _I'm fine._ "

"No you're not!" She grabbed his wrist. "You're freezing! And when was the last time you slept?!"

Akira _glared_ at her. It was something she had only ever seen directed at others and even then, never as intense as what he was giving her now. " _Ann,_ " He began with a voice that sounded as cold as he felt. He swiftly wrenched his wrist out of her grasp causing her stumble forward slightly. "I never _asked_ you to come here."

"I'm just worried about you!" She tried and failed not to shy away from his gaze. "You act all weird last night then you don't even bother to look at your phone all day, what am I supposed to think?"

Akira crossed his arms. "Maybe that I have better things to do then talk to you?" The harshness of his words caught Ann off guard. He smirked slightly when he saw the clear hurt on her face. He leaned in ever closer, Ann could faintly smell something metallic coming from him. _Blood_. Her mind immediately filled in the bank, it seemed right but he wasn't bleeding. "You can tell Futaba and all our other... _friends_ not to bother me."

With that, he slammed the door in her face. She had to practically jump back not to be hit with it. She heard the click of the lock then was left to stand there in silence. She replayed the entire interaction in her head. Clearly something had happened to Akira because that was **not** him. 

Ann started walking. She left the apartment building and pulled out her phone to text everyone. They needed to discuss this.

Futaba held Morgana close to her chest as she waited for word from Ann. She pet the small cat who didn't even try to escape like he often did when Futaba got a hold of him. As if sensing her worries, he nuzzled his head against her chest and purred. She smiled at him and wondered if maybe he _did_ know that something was up. He had always been smarter than the average cat, almost always managing to avoid her when she was too grabby for his liking. She looked at Morgana and wondered if he was as worried about Akira as she was.

She thought back to the other night. How upset Morgana had gotten just by being near Akira. How strangely he had acted towards him, scratching and hissing at him. He never did that, not even with _Ryuji_ and those two had never gotten along. Morgana was smart, smarter than most cats, maybe there was a reason for it.

Suddenly, Futaba's phone began to vibrate. She quickly dropped Morgana to check her texts. A loud cry from the cat made her wince. "Sorry Mona." She leaned down to pet him once again but he walked out of her reach and took a seat on her bed.

Futaba unlocked her phone and saw that Ann had texted everyone. Her stomach dropped as she read the message.

**Ann >** We need to talk.

 **Ann >** Something's wrong with Akira.

Futaba stared for a moment as all her fears and worries surfaced. She kicked herself for letting Akira stay by himself the night before. They should have known better than to leave him but, especially after how weird he'd been acting.

**Ryuji >** the hell happened?

 **Ann >** Let's talk in person.

 **Me >** We can use Leblanc

 **Haru >** Is everything okay!

 **Makoto >** What time should we meet?

 **Yusuke >** What happened to Akira?

 **Ann >** ASAP would be the best.

 **Ann >** He was acting all different.

 **Ann > **It's easier to talk about in person.

 **Ryuji >** should i tell yuuki?

 **Ann >** Yeah I think he should be there too.

Mishima needed to be there. Futaba read the texts again, confirming her worries. Ann must have thought it was connected to the night before too if she was bringing Mishima into the mix.

Suddenly, Futaba felt a weight on her lap. She looked down at Morgana who was staring up at his big blue eyes. He gave a small meow and began to nuzzle his head against her stomach. Morgana knew when things weren't right. She smiled down at the cat as she thought about his interactions with Akira. He must have known something was wrong for a while. Ever since they had played with the Ouija board, he'd known something was wrong. 

A possibility came to mind. A ridiculous one, but a possibility nonetheless. Animals were supposed to be able to sense the supernatural and their experiences in Akira's apartment had certainly left Futaba a firm believer in the paranormal, she wondered if it could be connected. Of course, she couldn't know for sure when Ann was being frustratingly vague in the group chat but that didn't stop theories from forming in her mind.

Akira came to awareness slowly. He sat in front of the open laptop but he could hardly focus on it. He was exhausted despite the fact that it felt like he'd just woken up. He felt a cold presence and looked to see Goro looking pleased with himself. Akira noticed that he wasn't bleeding as much anymore. Instead of a steady stream of blood that disappeared into nothing, it became a slow trickle.

 _ **"Akira."**_ All at once, the cold numbness from before returned in full force. Every nerve seemed to freeze as everything else faded away once again. It was just him and Goro. 

Goro smirked at Akira and wrapped his arms around him. Akira could feel any remaining warmth be sucked out of him as Goro held him. It was painful but he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything to stop whatever was happening. Suddenly, Akira could feel himself becoming even more exhausted. His vision blurred as the world began to spin too fast.

He abruptly became aware of the sensation of warm blood dripping on his shoulder. It almost burned with how cold he felt but he didn't flinch. He didn't do anything. 

_**"Pests. All of them."**_ Goro whispered. The image of Ann at the door came to mind and Akira immediately knew he was talking about his friends. He nodded along to what Goro said. Some part of him wanted to protest and fight back but he was too tired. _**"They'll get in our way."**_ Besides, he was right.

"Your revenge." Akira heard himself say. Goro's arms left him. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted despite how light his touch had been.

Goro moved his hand to Akira's cheek. Akira watched out of the corner of his eye as Goro's hand trailed across his face then down towards his neck, stopping where his pulse was. He smirked and shook his head. **_"Our revenge."_**

Akira nodded as a familiar rage filtered through him. A mix of his own emotions and Goro's consumed him. **_Their revenge_**. Shido had wronged both of them, **_hurt_** both of them, he'd **pay** for what he did. Akira saw Goro's approving look just as his computer came back into view. He needed to continue what he had started.

As Akira busied himself with his research, Goro watched. A new spark of life danced in his eyes in harsh contrast to the dull grey that Akira's were starting to become.


End file.
